I Want You To See Me
by ThinkHeart
Summary: Santana has her walls up, but Brittany keeps breaking them down. The question is when Brittany captures her heart, will she be ready for what comes with loving a girl in Lima, Ohio? *Alternate Universe* *First Fic*
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **Monday Morning**

Santana is late for school. Not unusual since she typically could care less, but she would have been on time today if her 8 year old brother Carlos had not puked all over her new car; a super early graduation gift from her parents. Santana is only a junior at McKinley High. She's used to getting rewarded by her parents. Something has to make up for the fact that they are never around. Santana's father spends 90% of his time at the hospital as the head of Cardio, while her mother works as the city's go to divorce lawyer. When they are not at work, they are usually at some fancy gala honoring some guy that dropped a fortune on a special cause, or they are out of town at conventions giving seminars. Santana gets the pleasure of watching Carlos in their absence. She loves her brother, so it's never really a problem. Sure he snoops through her things, is constantly erasing The Housewives on DVR to replace them with cartoons, and tends to cut into her "mack" time, but the little guy is her heart nonetheless. Santana can handle her parents being absent. That's why she fills her time with other stuff. At first it was cheerleading, then hooking up with girls, and now Glee club fills the void. Sometimes, just sometimes, it would be nice to hear the words "I love you", like she imagines some of her classmates hear from their parents. She wants to feel like she matters to them, like she is actually worth their attention and love. Glee Club is the perfect distraction though. She never admits it outside of her inner happy place, but she loves singing through her frustrations and insecurities. It's the only place she feels safe to express any sort of vulnerability. Outside of that glee bubble, she keeps a strict HBIC attitude. She may not be a Cheerio any longer, but she is no less a top bitch at McKinley.

After doing a Lopez level scrub down of her baby, and taking Carlos back home before their father can leave for work, Santana gasses it to McKinley to catch the last half of class.

She strolls into the room and is pleasantly greeted by Ms. Pratt, her AP English teacher.

"Miss Lopez, just in time for me to inform you that you will be completing the next project without a partner. Consider it a perk of tardiness. Seat, now, take it."

Santana gives a not so subtle eye roll to Ms. Pratt and takes her seat in the back. She quickly pulls out a book by Toni Morrison, completely unrelated to the curriculum, and tunes out.

"As I was saying projects are to be tur—"

The door opens again, and all heads turn to see an unfamiliar face.

"Hi, I think this is where I'm supposed to be. The girl with the neckbrace tried explaining it, but I'm pretty bad with directions. I'm Brittany Pierce. I just transferred in."

"Well Miss Pierce you've picked the perfect day to start. I'm explaining the new assignment which will be due 6 weeks from now. You'll be paired with Lopez, Lopez raise your hand", balks Ms Pratt, and continues to explain the assignment.

Santana, only halfway paying attention, raises her hand while keeping her eyes glued to the pages in front of her. Brittany, only really seeing the hand, and not the face hidden behind the book, begins to walk to the empty seat next to her.

She pulls out a rainbow colored unicorn notebook to take notes, but decides an introduction to her new partner is more important. Brittany turns in her desk to face the reading brunette. She takes a moment to study the girl's profile. Her eyes soak in the long brown hair that is all pulled over one shoulder; how she gives the tiniest hint of a smirk at what Brittany can only assume is a funny part of the novel; and how that tiny smirk produces the cutest dimple Brittany's ever seen.

Wait, did she just think that? She shakes her head as if to clear it of pesky thoughts, and stretches out her hand.

She whispers, "I'm Brittany Pierce, your new partner."

Santana doesn't even take a second to look up, but continues focusing her attention on "Their Eyes Were Watching God".

Slightly confused Brittany tries again. "Lopez is an interesting last name, but I'd rather be on a first name basis with you. Care to share", she says and smiles charmingly.

Santana gives an irritated sigh and turns to face the persistent distraction. She isn't expecting to meet the alarmingly blue eyes that steal her breath, the straight blonde hair she finds herself itching to tuck behind the girl's ear, or the megawatt smile that almost cracks Santana's 'I don't give a fuck' demeanor.

"How about you go with, I'm sorry for interrupting your personal time. I'm just fine with that", she says zeroing back in on the pages in front of her.

"Great, I guess I'll just take the notes on OUR project requirements." Brittany gives one last comment before focusing on what Ms. Pratt is saying.

10 minutes later, the bell rings and all students begin to rush for the door. Not having spoken a word to one another since their initial conversation, Santana and Brittany pack up and prepare to leave. Santana gets the jump on her and heads for the door when Brittany stops her.

"So maybe we should exchange numbers, so we can actually work together on this." No reply. "Lopez?" Huffing, she smoothly swipes the phone that was securely clutched in Santana's hand.

Surprised and impressed, Santana just watches as Brittany punches in her number with a touch of aggression. As she hands back the device, her pinky lightly grazes the other girl's, and she feels an eruption of goosebumps over her arm. Santana's eyes shoot to hers. They stay caught in the moment until the first few students for the next class begin to trickle in seconds later.

Both ladies are snapped out of the trance.

Clearing her throat Brittany speaks up. "I was thinking maybe we could start today after school. I have tryouts, but I should be ho—"

"Hold up Barbie, I fully intend to start this project at the very last minute possible. I'll let you know when that is for me. Cool?" Not waiting for an actual response, Santana walks down the hallway, leaving a dumbfounded Brittany in her wake.

 **Lunch**

Santana sits at a table surrounded by her fellow Glee club members. She twirls a fry in her hand as her friend Kurt animatedly re-enacts the Patti LuPone number he performed in class. Santana inwardly questions why exactly she sits with the gleeks at lunch. She is still welcome at the Cheerios table for god's sake! Then she remembers just how many former teammates she has gone a round or two with in bed, and is okay with avoiding that awkwardness. Still, it would give her a chance to hang with her best friend a little more. Oh well.

Bored to tears, the brunette scans the cafeteria for anything more interesting what was happening in front of her. Her eyes stop on a pair of endless legs that are currently gliding between tables. Those legs just happen to be attached to her English partner. Brittany doesn't notice her at first, but as she passes the Glee table, she feels a pull to look down at the students who occupy it. For the second time that day, blue eyes lock with brown. She brisks by without any acknowledgement of her.

'Can legs actually be that long? Like don't they have to end at some point?' Santana thinks to herself.

She watches on as Brittany takes a seat at the Cheerios table, which confuses her, since Brittany is new and is not donning the official red and white uniform. The blonde greets the surrounding cheerleaders with that damn smile of hers and causes her to internally melt. What catches her off guard is the hug Brittany gives to one Quinn Fabray, the HBIC at McKinley, captain of the Cheerios, and proud member of the Glee Club. Not to mention, Santana's best friend.

"Earth to Satan. Hey we're talking to you" Kurt snaps in her face and grabs the fry she has been twirling between her digits, and nibbles on it.

"Snap in my face again, lose your fingers Porcelain. I tuned out when you started vomiting rainbows. What? "

"I said..are you going to the Noah's party tonight? It's the first time he is actually inviting us too!"

"Correction, it's the first time he is inviting you guys. I've been Puckerman party royalty since 7th grade."

Mercedes is stealing a fry from her plate as she says, "Yeah, because you two dated. Which is whyyyy, you should extend your privilege of residual popularity, to us."

Santana gives an unimpressed frown. She and Puck had dated on and off from 7th grade to Freshman year. Back then she was a Cheerio and scared shitless of the feelings she was having for other girls. It was at 15 that she finally admitted to herself that she enjoyed looking at her fellow Cheerios way more than her boyfriend. At end of season party in 9th grade, Puck walked in on his girlfriend between the legs of her teammate Dani. It was certainly not the first time Santana and Dani had hooked up; it was just the first time they had gotten caught. Puck was crushed. No matter how awesome he claimed it was that is ex was into "lady love", once they had rebuilt their friendship; both he and Santana knew how hurt he was when he walked in on her going down on another girl. After his discovery, Puck ended things almost immediately, but not before Santana admitted that she was in love with Dani, and not just fooling around with her. She worked up the nerve to express her feelings to Dani as well, only to find out that she was horrified of coming out and wanted to break the whole thing off. She claimed it was all a mistake and that she could never be into girls for real. They both knew that was a lie. Santana brushed it off on the outside, but in response to the rejection, did the last thing anyone would expect a head Cheerio to do. She quit the squad. She couldn't be around the girl who ripped her heart to shreds.

Word did travel that she had cheated on Puck with a female, not that he outted her or anything; but it did go down at a small town high school party, so the rumor spread fast. The good news for Dani was that no one could figure out who the mystery lady was. Santana didn't deny it when other students began to whisper about her dabbling with the same sex. She never officially came out, but instead let everyone draw their own conclusions. She was beyond caring how others perceived her. Her aloofness to the gossip made her a hot commodity with her ex teammates. Santana was hot. She was confident. She knew what girls liked in bed, so girls really liked her. Halfway through sophmore year, Quinn requested she stop sleeping with her Cheerios, as the captain noticed the decline of several of the girls' performances due to getting the brush off from her best friend. After the debacle with Dani, Santana not only stopped caring about how others viewed her, but also about how she treated her conquests. She joined the Glee Club to fill her time with activities outside of her bedroom, not expecting to actually like it; then convinced Quinn to join with her so they could still see each other at school. Santana hasn't looked back since.

She knows she is more than welcome at the Puck's infamous bashes, but unless she is looking for a bed mate, she never really attends. She no longer has to fulfill Cheerio social duties.

"You have to go Santana. We need someone who can circulate the crowd and not leave us to make out with Finn, like Quinn will, or spend all night talking about Mike's abs, like Tina is doing right now."

Everyone zeros in on Tina touching her boyfriend, Mike's abs, as she carries on about how he manages to have 8 of them.

"See Satan, we need you to guide us through the jungle of popularity. We want to be amongst the people. All for one right?" says Kurt hopefully

Taking a pregnant second to consider the party, she makes her decision.

"Fine, but I leave on Snix time, aka when the meatheads start banging their fists on their chests and saying dude a lot."

As everyone celebrates the victory in getting Santana to cave, Quinn and Brittany approach the table.

"Did we miss something exciting here? Don't tell me, Rachel decided not to come back from her New York with her dads tomorrow?" asks Quinn in a sarcastic tone.

"She'll be back tonight." Deadpans Kurt

"No, my girl Santana has decided to go to Puckerman's tomorrow night," beams Mercedes, bumping Santana's shoulder.

"Really? S you haven't been to one of those in awhile." Then she gets an idea, "But that's perfect because you can maybe introduce my friend Brittany here to some people while I keep Finn occupied. Guys this is Brittany. We met in cheer camp a couple years ago. She just transferred from Thomas. Brittany this is, well a fraction of the glee club. This is Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, Mike, and Santana.

 _"Santana_ , and I have already met", she says looking at her sharply, "Nice to meet the rest of you", and her expression has softened in the blink of an eye.

Quinn glances between her best friend and her cheer friend and something clicks.

"So this is the nightmare partner?" Brittany gives a subtle nod. "Don't mind S, she loses the bitch façade once you get to know her better. Well, kind of", she says glaring down at Santana only to get an eye roll in return.

Brittany notices the exchange. "Right. I think I should head out now. I'm still learning where everything is and I don't want to be late twice in one day. I'll see you at tryouts?"

"Sure." Quinn pauses for a second. "Hey Britt, why doesn't Santana show you to your next period seeing as how you guys need to discuss this project of yours anyways."

Santana whips her head toward Quinn and looks at her as though she is crazy. Then she feels a heel dig into her toes.

"Shiiit, geez Fabray what's your problem?" Santana asks highly annoyed. "And I have things to do, so…no. Barbie can find her own class like the rest of us had to."

"Or maybe you can hit pause on the bitch act today and help her out since this morning was such a rough start." She pointedly regards her friend.

Santana considers Quinn's statement. Brittany had clearly shared their earlier interaction with the short haired blonde. Fine she was kind of snappy earlier, but people just accepted that from her. Besides, Santana knows that letting her guard down around Brittany will inevitably lead to her heart being stolen and most likely trampled, again. She's already starting to notice things the smallest things about her, like those damn freckles that pepper her face, the cute unicorn notebook she used during class, and the adorable scrunch of her nose when she laughed really hard at whatever lame story Quinn was telling only a few minutes before. Santana is in trouble.

Quinn taps her foot and eyes her expectantly.

With no further words, Santana rises from the lunch table and simply nods for Brittany to follow her. They head towards the Junior lockers and first stop at Santana's so she can swap books.

"Thanks, for showing me to my next class. That's really nice of you." Brittany is clearly offering an olive branch.

"Whatever. Which teacher do you have next?" Santana grumbles as she shuts her door. They begin to head down the hallway.

"Peterson for Calculus."

With mock enthusiasm "Oh goody, looks like we share more than English. Come on."

The two walk in silence to their next block. The bell rings and other students begin to swarm and scurry. When they arrive, Santana takes her usual seat in the back while Brittany chooses an open spot in the front row. As she begins to unpack her backpack, Brittany receives a tap on the shoulder from a very blonde and generously lipped, Sam "Trouty Mouth" Evans, asking for a spare pencil. Santana takes notice. Sam makes her giggle with some ridiculous played out impression, and Santana just watches in disbelief.

'So freaking charming. Of course they hit it off. Apparently this chick is the nicest girl in the world, because absolutely no one laughs at Trouty's impressions. Oh my god he's touching her leg. I can't'

The exchanges continue throughout Calculus. Santana observes how Sam throws quick glances at the girl beside him, and how she seems to catch each one, and return it with a bashful smile. What she also picks up is that Brittany is very focused on what is being taught by Mr. Peterson. Her pencil moves back and forth across her notebook in a gracefully efficient way. She only seems to break attention when Sam gawks at her with his blatant googly eyes. Clearly Brittany is serious about actually absorbing differential equations, which somewhat piques Santana's curiosity for her.

When the bell rings, the brunette has heard none of what actually took place in class. Luckily she is the type that never has to try hard to succeed in school. She sees Brittany and Sam making their way out of the classroom and decides that maybe they've talked enough for the day.

"Hey Pierce."

Brittany's laughter dies down as she turns to Santana. She quickly replies "Brittany works just fine, _Santana_."

The shorter girl inwardly cringes. "Sorry. Brittany. Can I talk to you for a sec? About the project…alone?" She directs her eyes to Sam provides her Lima Heights evil eye. Having fallen victim to this in the past gives Brittany a parting smile and walks away. Turning back to the other girl Brittany waits for her to begin speaking, to no avail. Santana is just gazing at her.

Clearing her throat, "You wanted to talk about the project" she says, feeling her ears heat up.

"Yeah. Starting. Uh you said you wanted to do it. The project, start doing it. Today." Santana rubs her neck, completely embarrassed at being caught, and even more so at losing her inability to form a sentence.

"Oh. No longer on Lopez time?" Brittany replies smugly. "How about after school today. Well not right after school. After my tryout."

"Ok that's acceptable." Snapping back to the version of herself she recognizes. She can't let Brittany have the upper hand. "I know what time tryouts end. Be at my house no later than five. I needs to get my beauty rest. Can't win all the pretty girls over with just my beautiful mind." She winks, and is able to access her flirting abilities to use them on the offensively gorgeous blonde. Santana slips her a piece of paper with her address on it.

Stunned at what she thinks has just been revealed to her, Brittany finally puts words together. "Quinn. She's giving me a ride."

"Perfect. She knows where to find me. See you at 5 Blondie," and with that Santana flashes her famous smirk and triumphantly glides away.

Brittany looks on at swaying hips as she contemplates when exactly staring at a girl's ass has ever been her thing. Santana Lopez will trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the love. My plan is to update at least once a week! I hope you enjoy J

 **Chapter Two**

 **Tryouts**

"Get your talentless, overweight, Lima loser asses over here NOW!" Sue Sylvester screams murderously at her current and potential Cheerios. Quinn stands beside her as the ladies arrive in front of them panting and wheezing. Some on the verge of passing out. "You call yourselves athletes? What I just witnessed was the end of your cheering careers and the excuse I need to dump this gig and run away with Figgins so we can have the hot wild passions in the backseat of his '71 pinto in the 'Shake N' Burger' parking lot. And in case you ladies didn't catch my sarcasm, I DON'T NEED THAT EXCUSE!"

Brittany, the only girl not dying from the lack of oxygen, moves her eyes from the screeching banshee to her friend, hoping to get some sign that joining the squad won't be the biggest mistake of her life. All Quinn can offer is an apologetic smile. Brittany loves cheering and having the opportunity to dance and make people happy. She just doesn't know if she loves it enough to feel like shit her final two years of high school.

The yelling has stopped and Brittany tunes back into what the Coach is saying. She notices a few girls crying and walking away from the field.

"Twinkle toes!" Pointing at Brittany, "I'm talking to you. Get your sweet ass over here next to Q. You've been chosen. The rest of you sad, lazy, duds give me another 10 around! I want a lap a minute or you're cut! Quinn, clock 'em." With that Sue stalks off to her office as the remaining girls dejectedly hit the track.

Quinn studies the figures running the remaining laps and waits until Sue is completely out of sight before excitedly pulling in her friend for a warm hug. "You made it! Not that there was any doubt, I mean we were partners at cheer camp," she cockily jokes.

"Oh please, you learned all your dance moves from me. Let's not forget who choreographed our award winning 'End of Summer' routine." Brittany beams. The two girls exchange a laugh as the others struggle to not die. "Oh by the way, would you mind dropping me off at Santana's house instead of mine? We are going to start on the project today after all."

Quinn looks at her slightly amused. "So you two made up? When you described her at lunch I believe your words were quite colorful."

Giving a playful roll of her eyes, "She gave her version of what I think she thinks passes as an apology, and I really need to do well in this class. No big deal." Brittany doesn't want to reveal her excitement over seeing her difficult partner after practice. She can't explain what she finds so intriguing about her. Santana had been straight up rude, but something makes her want to know the girl better. She is drawn to her. If she is really honest, which Brittany always tries to be, she's a little attracted too. Let's be real, she's really attracted. That last part scares her though. Thoughts like that can't just pop up unexpectedly. They make her do and say things. Things that will make her classmates not accept her. Brittany cannot afford to be unaccepted. She gets by because people like her so much. She is very much aware of her looks and how much she gets by based on those solely. Her grades may not take her far, but being popular and cheering her ass off will. At least that's what her mother tells her. Lana Pierce has always taught her daughter to shine the brightest she can. The problem is that her philosophy applies only to snagging cute boys and getting voted Homecoming Queen. She wants Brittany to be a Lima success. Brittany has bigger dreams than Lima, Ohio. That's why she studies into the morning hours, and seeks a tutor in every subject she struggles with. Really, she struggles with every subject, but manages to keep getting placed in advanced courses because Lana Pierce is a charming woman. Brittany has to learn it from somewhere. The only class that has always been a cakewalk is math. She is a genius when it comes to numbers. If only she could apply that across the board. Brittany is determined to make it out of Lima, not just because she knows how to flirt and can do a backhand spring in her sleep. She wants to prove to her mother that she can dance in front of the biggest crowds and also earn a college degree. Brittany wants her mother to see her for who she is completely.

Quinn eyes the taller blonde for a moment. "Yeah, sure. I haven't visited the Lopez household in at least a week anyways." They smile at one another. She notices the time on the stopwatch has run out. "Okay ladies bring it in!" Everyone exhaustedly jogs over. Quinn gives her HBIC stare that can make the meatiest jock cower. The girls await their fate. "As far as I'm concerned I'm looking at this year's Cheerio squad." A smile gradually forms on her face. "I'll see you all tomorrow." Too tired to celebrate, the Cheerios, new and old, head for the locker room.

"I have to meet with Coach before we take off. Wait for me at my car?" Brittany nods, and Quinn heads for Sue's office.

15 minutes later the girls are on their way to the Lopez residence. Brittany has showered and changed into her favorite pair of grey sweats and black v neck shirt. When they pull up to the house they both unbuckle their seatbelts. Brittany turns to Quinn confused.

"You're coming in?"

"Only for a few minutes. I want to make sure Snix isn't going to make an appearance before I leave you alone with her." Brittany stares at her blankly. "From what you told me earlier, you and Snix have already met, but I think you got the tamer version of her." With that they head for the front door. Quinn rings the bell and they wait.

The door is flung open to reveal a very casual Santana. Her hair is pulled up in a bun and she is donning her favorite skinny jeans and loose fitting white tee. "Fabray it's 5:07. I know tryouts end strictly at 4:45. Are you trying to test me?"

"Please put your alter ego back in her cage. Coach held me a little longer. Anyway, I just want to insure that my newest Cheerio will leave here intact and emotionally unharmed. Can you promise me that?"

Squinting at her friend Santana replies, "I'll be an angel. Beat it Quinnie. The sooner I get this work done, the sooner I can get back to 'The Housewives'. "She begins to inch Quinn out the door.

Quinn calls back over her shoulder, "Call me if the devil is unleashed Britt", and with that she is gone.

Santana is closing the door as Brittany takes in how good her butt looks in her jeans. Her eyes are still glued to that spot when the brunette turns around. Brittany isn't quick enough, which is never an issue for her. She's totally stealthy with her lurking, when she isn't crushing hard that is.

Santana just gives a knowing smirk without saying a word. She motions for the blonde to follow her. Brittany wonders whether she will get to see her bedroom. Not in like a creepy way. It's just that Santana is so mysterious and captivating. The girl obviously knows how to work her magic on people when she wants to. Brittany has heard quite a few stories in the locker room. Apparently her partner is a sex shark and has left quite a few heartbroken ladies in the dust. From what she's heard, Santana is never cruel, despite her reputation of being a bitch; she's closed off and distant, which is upsetting for someone to find out after weeks of fooling around with her. Brittany wants to find out for herself what more there is to the brunette outside of three week flings and a strong sexual prowess. For her to be Quinn's best friend is a strong sign that she is worth getting to know. Quinn does not strike Britt as a person to waste her time on empty friendships.

The girls come to the 2nd floor landing and walk towards the end of the hall.

'This is it', Brittany thinks to herself. Her heart speeds up and she feels a tiny flutter in her stomach.

What she isn't expecting is to enter an office decorated with bookshelves and degrees along the wall.

'Does she sleep at a desk?' She wonders

Santana turns on the lamp and turns to the perplexed look on the blonde's face.

"Problem blondie?"

"This is very, official. I thought we would work in your room is all."

Santana is thoughtful for a moment.

"I figured we could get more work done here. I focus better when there isn't a bed around to distract me." She looks down at her feet as she says that last part, her face taking on a red tint.

Nodding and taking a look around, "Your mom is a lawyer?"

"Uh yeah. She's the most sought after divorce lawyer in Lima", Santana responds in a rehearsed monotone voice.

"And your dad is a…doctor? That's really cool." She lets that information sink in. "So then you must be pretty smart?" Brittany eyes the shorter girl from the corner of her eye. Santana just shrugs nonchalantly. "Which would also means that you will be more use to me with this project than you led me to believe in class…" she says with a smile to show she is joking.

Santana can't help the grin that breaks across her face upon hearing those words. "I have a rep to protect Pierce."

"Sure. Although to hear Quinn tell it, you're all bitch with no bite." She can't help herself.

"Quinnie knows how hard my bite can be. You don't want to find out." Santana snaps into a mild version of her HBIC persona. Enough to show she can turn it on at any time, but not enough to kill the light mood. Brittany is slightly intrigued by the display.

"Maybe one day I just might want to," Brittany challenges with a quirked eyebrow. "Let's start."

It isn't lost on Santana how Brittany just subtly turned the tables, which is why it takes a second for her to wipe the dumbstruck expression off her face and begin opening her books.

 **7pm**

Santana and Brittany continue to work diligently when Santana hears a grumbling stomach, not quite sure if it belongs to her or her counterpart. She figures it out when she turns to see pale skin suddenly taking on a red color. "Are you hungry? We can stop for a snack break if you want."

Appreciative of how considerate the girl is being, "I don't want to raid your kitchen and eat all your food," Brittany says shyly.

"Well it's time for Carlos to eat dinner anyway. Besides, who said I would let you _raid_ my kitchen? I take food very seriously." Santana playfully responds.

"I'm a dancer and a cheerleader. I have a fast metabolism. The raiding is going to happen. I was just pretending to feel bad about it" she giggles out. Then a thought hits her. "Is Carlos your dog or something?" She doesn't remember seeing any indications of pets on her way in.

"Carlos would be my little brother. He's been sick in bed all day which really just means he's playing video games" she says jokingly rolling her eyes. "I should go make him more soup though. I may give you access to the treasure if I decide you are worthy." Immediately catching how that sounds, she amends her statement. "I mean, I'll totally hook you up with a Lopez special." She inwardly cringes at how lame she has managed to become in the short time since meeting Brittany.

She leads Brittany to a room down the hall that has a swinging monkey poster hanging from the door. She quietly enters the room to reveal a rampant jungle theme that consumes the entire space. At the center of the fun is Carlos in his official jungle hat playing an outdated Jumanji video game. Brittany stares in childlike amazement at the sight.

"Hey squirt you feeling up for some soup? It's dinner time." Santana says in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.

"Nah, I'm not hungry." Carlos responds, not even looking away from his game.

"Not even for snake stew?" She knows to make eating a part of his jungle adventure in order to win the battle. As if on cue, the boy jumps up at the same time, dropping the game controller.

"Okay!"

Carlos shoots out the door before either girl can even blink. Smiling to herself Santana heads down the stairs with Brittany close behind.

"His room is AWESOME!" Brittany exclaims in an overly enthusiastic whisper.

"Quinn and I let the kid watch "Jumanji" with us _one_ time and he thinks he's freaking Alan Parrish or something," clearly in mock annoyance.

"I think he's adorable. He looks just like you," says the blonde, shocking herself by flirting with Santana.

Wanting to play it cool at her partner tripping her flirt alarm, Santana allows for an inner happy dance and gives a shy smile to the blonde as they move to the kitchen

"So what will it be blondie? I know this guy is having," ruffling Carlos' hair as she walks around the island, "but somehow I don't see you only eating soup."

Carlos butts in, "you said it was snake stew!"

Brittany chuckles under her breath. "It's totally snake stew…for you," Santana scrambles to create a good explanation upon seeing the pout on her brother's face and sensing the power in the room shift his way. "See we," pointing between herself and Britt, "eat regular food because we aren't in the game." The poser slowly tilts back in her favor. "But you still have to fight your way out of the jungle, so you have to eat the native animals to survive." She's won! Carlos gives a nod of approval and hops up on one of the kitchen stools.

Brittany is amazed at witnessing the tender side of the, typically brusque brunette. When Santana finally takes her attention off of Carlos, she sees the cheesy smile directed at her. She almost questions why when she realizes that most people don't see her interact with her brother, so they don't witness her soft spot and the amount of total mush she turns into when she's with him. Santana decides not to acknowledge the look of awe she is receiving from ocean blue eyes.

"I'll have whatever you're having San," she says sweetly. Not even noticing her term of endearment, Brittany bounces over to Carlos to discuss whether she will be able travel back to the past with him once he wins the game.

20 minutes later there is an amazing aroma floating around the kitchen and three starving humans ready to eat. Santana sets a bowl of regular chicken noodle soup, disguised as "snake stew", in front of her brother; then presents Brittany with a plate of freshly made lasagna and garlic bread. The blonde's eyes are as big as saucers upon laying eyes on her meal. Before she decides to indulge, Brittany takes notice of a missing element from the table. "Where are your parents? Shouldn't we wait for them before we eat?" The question is so genuine and innocent, that Santana can't bring herself to laugh off the silly question. Of course Brittany assumes that her parents would be home at a decent time to have dinner with their two children. That's how most families operate anyways. The parents are home in time to do the cooking for their kids, and then everyone sits around the table and discusses how their days went. Nowhere in the nuclear family handbook does it list the harsh realities of the world; that some parents would simply rather be at work, or galas, or vacationing, or really anywhere else other than at home with the kids they brought into the world.

Instead of providing the reality of her home life as an answer to Brittany's question, she opts for the simple, alternative response. "They have to work late tonight." Her face doesn't give much away; but there is a hint of a brow furrow that catches Brittany's eye, to indicate there is more to the story. The blonde doesn't push, and instead soft nod and begins to devour the food before her. Santana picks at her own plate as she watches the other two partake of every last bit of food. Brittany takes a breather and glances over at Santana to show her gratitude.

"This is amazing San. I don't think I've ever had lasagna this good before. Thanks for letting me eat dinner with you guys." She says sweetly.

"Yea, well I didn't want your stomach monster to eat me alive so I figured this was the only alternative," Santana responds and returns Brittany's smile. "I'm glad you like it. I've been waiting to try out the recipe for a while so you are my guinea pig."

Trying to keep a more upbeat tone Brittany responds, "That was a pretty big risk you took with my taste buds _Lopez_. I'm not always so easy to please..."

'That was a less upbeat and more flirty. Ugh. Brittany chides herself internally. There she goes, saying things she didn't think she would ever say to another girl.

Without missing a beat Santana replies, "Trust me, I've never had an issue with using my talents to please", falling into her old habits by playing the game. Brittany feels a little thrill. The air is highly charged and Carlos continues to eat, oblivious to what is happening around him. The moment is only broken when a spoon obnoxiously hits the table and Carlos exclaims, "Jumanji!"

Santana tears her eyes away from the cobalt blues that are studying her features, and gives a warm smile to her brother. "Great, now go rinse your plate and head upstairs to hit the showers. You smell kid," she says scrunching her nose and nudging him playfully in the direction of the sink. She moves shortly after him and starts putting everything away. Santana isn't quite sure how she feels right now. Brittany is throwing out the clearest signal she's ever seen, but she's doesn't know what that means. Usually Santana interprets the signal as "let's go fool around in your room." Not with this girl though. Brittany somehow strikes her as innocent. It could be the unicorn binder or her expectation of how families should behave, that bring Santana to her conclusion; whatever it may be, Santana has already made up in her mind that she cannot risk hurting her. She feels compelled to protect Brittany, even if it's from herself.

Brittany's stare follows Santana as she begins to clean off the table. She wonders what the other girl is thinking. Brittany has never flirted with another girl before, but here she is doing it blatantly and anticipating Santana playing along. Her heart rate hasn't beat at a normal pace once since being around the brunette. When Carlos disappears upstairs for his bath, Brittany walks over to the sink to help wash the remaining dishes. Santana scrubs the plate in her hand a little too intently, which doesn't go unnoticed by the blonde. Brittany gently sets a dish on the rack and asks "Are you okay," with slight concern in her voice.

"I'm fine" Santana says, throwing up a wall.

They wash in silence. Santana puts away the last dish, sighs and finally says, "Maybe we should call it a night. I think we got a lot done. We can pick it up again tomorrow if you want." Brittany simply nods in agreement. They move back to the office so she can collect her things. "I can give you a ride home. It's kind of dark outside now. "

"That's alright. I actually don't live very far. I passed your house on the way to school this morning. Besides, you should probably put Carlos to sleep or else your house may be transformed into the "Jumaji" set by the time you get back," She replies, trying to bring back a light mood.

"Well, why don't I give you a ride in the morning since you live so close," she offers, feeling a little guilty for shutting herself off. Santana knows she has made the right decision when she's hit with the megawatt smile again. Santana's quickly discovering how willing she is to do anything to bring that smile to the other girl's face.

"That would be awesome. Thank you San." Without warning, she pulls her partner in for a gentle hug, wanting her to release whatever tension that still lingered. Santana gets a chance to catch the faint fresh smell of coconut in the blonde's hair and instantly relaxes in the arms encircling her body.

"Santana! Time for my story," booms the forgotten voice of Carlos

The girls break apart slowly. All awkwardness diminished during the embrace. Santana leads Brittany to the stairs. She peeps her head into her brother's room. "Give me a sec squirt. I'll be right back up. Brittany's leaving, tell her goodnight."

Directing his eyes at the blonde standing behind his big sister "You're not staying for the story?" He gives a pout, and Brittany knows that exactly where he gets it from.

Giving a regretful pout herself "I have to get home, but I promise I will stay for the story next time I'm over."

Accepting that answer, Carlos rushes over and hugs Brittany's waist. She welcomes it with open arms and revels in how adorable he is.

'The kid has better game than I do around her' Santana scoffs in her head.

Pulling back, Carlos looks to his sister and says "I like her," and whispering in a not so quiet voice, "She's really really pretty." He beams at the two of them and walks back to his bed which is encased by fake jungle vines. Brittany's ears begin to turn red as she turns to Santana to walk out. The shorter girl takes notice, but chooses not to say anything. She walks her partner to the door and they give their final goodbyes.

"So, I'll see you in your driveway at 7am?" Santana inquires of her. Brittany gives her a questioning stare, not understanding why so early. "Coach Sylvester always expects her Cheerios to be early to practice. Her mantra, besides 'You're all worthless, lazy, Lima losers', is 'early is on time, and on time is late.' I'll see you at 7am Pierce."

This earns Santana an impressed smile from Brittany before the blonde walks down her front steps. Brittany throws back over her shoulder without a glance back "See you in the morning _Lopez_ ". With that, Santana closes the door and lets out a deep sigh. She can't help the butterflies that are bombarding her stomach or the perpetual grin she has been sporting since meeting her long legged partner. Maybe she can learn how to be friends with her without turning it into something more. Santana knows how to keep boundaries.

'I can do this, right?'

Deciding not to spend any more time thinking of ways to keep up her walls around the girl who seems determined to break them down, she heads upstairs to put her brother to sleep with his requested bedtime story. There is only one thing on her mind the entire time…her mind the entire time…


End file.
